RE: A Frank Callahan Mystery Twofer
Double your pleasure, double your fun with a Frank Callahan Mystery Twofer. Frank Callahan is a gay LAPD detective who first appeared in the free-for-all mystery, The DVD Murders. He and his long-term friend and partner, Detective Barry Jennings, are back in two contemporary crime fiction stories that will keep you guessing all the way.
The Bashful Vampire Murder begins where most vampire tales end: in the apprehension of a vampire hunter right after he has driven a stake through his quarry’s heart. The defense attempts to prove that vampires exist and the homicide was justified. To Callahan’s horror, the trial ends in a hung jury. Only the resourcefulness and savvy of the tough cynical detective stand between justice and the killer being allowed to walk.
In the Comic Book Murders, the two flatfoots run the gamut of superhero and villain suspects, from Captain America and the Caped Crusader to the Joker and Firebug until outstanding police work and dogged persistence lead them to the unlikely killer. On the way, we get to visit a kinetic comic book convention, the backstreets of Hollywood, and a firebombing in Westwood on Halloween eve.
The Story Behind This Book
I’m not surewhere it began. It was an idea that had been kicking around in my head for a long time. I suppose in many ways, I’m a realist. It just occurred to me one day, what if a guy really did drive a stake through another guy’s heart and was caught. What would people think? Would there be a trial, etc.? And I just took it from there.
Praise and Reviews
Entirely Riveting!
“Bob Frey's tagline "double your pleasure, double your fun with a Frank Callahan Mystery Twofer" is certainly met in The Bashful Vampire Murder & Comic Book Murders, continuing the saga of mystery readers' favorite LAPD detective, Frank Callahan, who made his first appearance in 2009's The DVD Murders. Frank Callahan is back on the beat again to solve two curious cases: one involving a man claiming to be a descendant of the Van Helsing family, and the other that involves our favorite comic book characters.
“The first story chronicles the investigation of a dentist who drove a stake through a civilian's heart, claiming that he was a vampire, continuing in his "family vocation" of killing "lamias," a European word for vampires. The dentist claims to have come from the Van Helsing family, the renowned vampire hunters. Callahan's department cannot help but wonder why "all the crazies always wind up in our playpen" as a trial unfolds that attempts to prove the existence of vampires through expert witness testimony, making a plea not of insanity, but rather of justifiable homicide. Much to Callahan's chagrin, the jury finds the evidence of vampires' existence substantial enough to result in a hung jury, causing him to embark on a personal mission to bring justice to the case and put the murderer behind bars.
“Comic Book Murders opens on the discovery of a victim who has unusual chemical burns on his face, indicating severe frostbite, albeit inconsistent with his dry shirt and lack of any other traces of the chemical on his body; it has all of the hallmarks of a murder by the Dick Tracy character, Mr. Freeze, who froze his victims into a solid block of ice. This bizarre murder is only the first in a series of murders paralleling comic book stories; Frank Callahan must unravel the puzzling murders, which inevitably leads him to the unlikely killer.
“Using witty dialogue, referencing everything from Bette Davis to Twilight, and putting all of the "crazies" in Callahan's "playpen," Bob Frey exhibits a unique and deft ability for interweaving the comical with the morbid. The Bashful Vampire Murder & Comic Book Murders are engrossing”—bwbatlarge, 5 stars Amazon customer review
